Tetris Attack (SNES)

Tetris Attack is the North American remake of the Japanese Game Panel de Pon with a Yoshi's Island theme. Though it's given a Tetris brand, it has very little to do with the Russian classic. Instead, Tetris Attack requires you to adjust a stack of blocks in an attempt to makes a series of three or more of the same color. If you're able to do so, the blocks are removed. Removing more than three at once, or creating combos that remove groups of three in a chain reaction will net you more points, and also dump garbage blocks on your opponent if you're playing against someone. A lot of reflexive skill and planning is required to beat difficult opponents.

In the original Japanese game, Panel de Pon, each stage had a theme and a generic anime chibi to represent it. It was a clever move on Nintendo's part to use a Yoshi theme because it allowed them to appeal to a much wider audience. Chibis with colorful shapes would never sell as well as Tetris or Yoshi.

Aside from the standard games and versus play, Tetris Attack allows for a story mode where you travel to Mt. Wickedness to stop Bowser from controlling Yoshi's friends with Kamek's spells. Each friend that you save will join you in your quest to stop Bowser.

Tetris Attack is one of those games that never seems to become boring since it only takes a few seconds to learn and enjoy, but never, in a million years, will you ever truly master it.

Contents

Screenshots

The Tetris Attack title screen.

The Panel de Pon title screen.

Beating up on Lakitu.

The chibis of Panel de Pon.

This page needs more screenshots.

Music

The music in Tetris Attack is absolutely wonderful. Aside from the fun cartoony music through the menus, every character in the game has their own unique music fitting to their personality. Yoshi's music (remixed from Yoshi's Island (SNES)) is whimsical, Laktin's music is airy, Poochy's music is playful, Blarrg's music is intense, Raven's music is mysterious, etc. This adds depth to the character and makes them feel more alive. The boss music, especially Bowser's music, will get on your nerves and make it harder to concentrate, but that's kind of the point.

Most of the game's music was made for the original Japanese game, although a few changes have been made. Panel de Pon had different opening music, different stage 12 music, and a different game over theme. These tunes were remade with Yoshi music for the non-Japanese releases.

Note: The game contains different credit screens for both, the puzzle mode and story mode ending. When you beat the puzzle mode, you get the credits associated with hiragana. When you beat the story mode, you get the credits associated with kanji.